The present invention relates to surgical tables. More specifically, the present invention relates to the structures and mechanisms associated with the support surface of surgical tables.
Surgical tables are known that provide a plurality of sections for supporting different sections of a patient""s body, such as the head, torso, arms, and legs of a patient. Is it also known to provide joints between such sections of a surgical table to permit movement of one section of the surgical table relative to another section of the surgical table. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,259 discloses an operating table that has head and foot sections that are moveable relative to upper and lower trunk sections.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a patient support is provided that is configured to support the lower legs and body of a patient. The patient support includes a base, a body support section adapted to support the body of a patient, and a lower leg support section positioned adjacent to the body support. The lower leg support has an adjustable length and includes a first leg support member and a second leg support member configured to move relative to the first leg support member to adjust the length of the lower leg support section. The first leg support member has a tongue. The second support surface includes a groove sized to receive the tongue. The tongue is configured to move in the groove during adjustment of the length of the lower leg support section.
According to another aspect of the invention, a patient support apparatus is provided that is configured to support a patient. The patient support includes a base, a body support section adapted to support the body of a patient, and a lower leg support section positioned adjacent to the body support section and having an adjustable length. The lower leg support section includes a first lower leg support member adapted to support the lower legs of a patient and configured to move relative to the body support section between a retracted position with the lower leg support section having a first length and an extended position with the lower leg support section having a second length that is greater than the first length. When in extended position, the first lower leg support member defines a gap adjacent thereto resulting from the movement from the retracted position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a patient support is provided that is configured to support a patient. The patient support includes a base, a body support section adapted to support the body of a patient, and a lower leg support section positioned adjacent to the body support and having an adjustable length. The lower leg support section includes a first lower leg support surface, a second lower leg support surface configured to move away from the first lower leg support surface to adjust the length of the lower leg support section and define a gap therebetween, a coupler configured to block relative movement of the first lower leg support surface relative to the second lower leg support surface, and a limit configured to limit movement of the second lower leg support surface relative to the first lower leg support surface beyond a predetermined position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a patient support is provided that is configured to support a patient. The patient support includes a base, a body support section adapted to support the body of a patient, and an appendage support section positioned adjacent to the body support. The appendage support has an adjustable length. The appendage support section includes a first appendage support surface, a second appendage support surface configured to move relative to the first appendage support surface to adjust the length of the appendage support section, and a coupler configured to move between a locked position blocking movement of the second appendage support surface relative to the first appendage support surface and an unlocked position. The coupler is configured to limit the amount of force necessary to move between the locked and unlocked positions.
According to another aspect of the invention, a patient support is provided that is configured to support a patient. The patient support includes a base, a body support section, and an appendage support section. The body support section includes a body support surface adapted to support the body of a patient and a first coupler including a first lobe and a recess at least partially defined by the first lobe. The appendage support section is positioned adjacent to the body support and includes an appendage support surface and a second coupler including a second lobe. The recess of the first coupler is sized to receive the second lobe to permit rotation of the second lobe and the remainder of the appendage support section about an axis of rotation from an unlocked position to a locked position.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for coupling a first support section of a patient support to a second support section of a patient support is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a first interactive member coupled to a portion of the first support section and a second interactive member coupled to a portion of the second support section of the patient support. The method further includes the step of positioning the first support section relative to the second support section of the patient support so that a first portion of the first interactive member is funneled into a first portion of the second support section of the patient support. The method also includes the step of locking the first interactive member of the first support section to the second interactive member of the second support section.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of removing an appendage support section of a patient support is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a patient support including a body support section and an appendage support section coupled to the body support section. The method further includes the step of moving the appendage support section in a first direction relative to the body support section. The method also includes the step of moving the appendage support section in a second direction opposite the first direction after moving the appendage support in the first direction to uncouple the appendage support section from the body support section
Additional features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.